


Not a Hero, Not a Ladybug

by OnlyJam



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Ending, Character Death, Episode: s01 Le Dessinateur | The Evillustrator, F/M, Marichat, adrienette - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-08
Updated: 2016-03-08
Packaged: 2018-05-25 10:05:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6190612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OnlyJam/pseuds/OnlyJam
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chat expected that if his lady were to pass, it would be in the heat of battle. She would go valiantly. Ladybug would die like a hero. Because she was the hero. </p><p>He didn't expect her to disappear on a 'secret mission' and leave him behind to protect a civilian by himself. Then just... never come back. Was it because he failed his mission? Did she hate him because he couldn't protect her like she asked? That had to be the case... He blamed himself already.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not a Hero, Not a Ladybug

Marinette reached for the pen at a slow pace, watching Chat in her peripheral vision. Nathaniel couldn’t react to the girl’s bitter betrayal before a certain leather clad cat jumped in. The red haired akuma attempted to rip the pen from the girl’s grip, sending her flying into the steel railing of the boat. Nathaniel dropped the pen and raced to her side. 

Time moved slowly as he lifted her up and felt the wet warmth on the back of her head. 

He hadn’t meant to… He really hadn’t. Its just-…she took the pen from his hand and Chat attacked so he panicked. Then he saw her and... He swore he didn’t mean to. His hands were shaking now. The akuma had fled after the pen broke under Chat’s foot. Now he stood there with a grief stricken look on his face. Nathaniel couldn’t help but let tears blaze warm trails down his cheeks, matching the temperature of the thick blood flowing freely from her head. A loud sob escaped his tight throat, quickly followed by hoarse coughing. 

“Marinette…” Chat knelt beside the red head to gather the body from his weak grasp. And in his numb state, Nathaniel let it happen. This was his fault. He had…. He caused this.

Chat held the body in his arms as he walked. Sweet Marinette… The girl who sat quietly behind him in class, the same girl who stuttered and blushed around him. The same brave class president that stood up when nobody else would. The one that his Lady had told him to protect. What would she say? He wasn’t sure he could face her again. How was he supposed to face her parents? He remembered so clearly their bright smiling faces and the sweet smelling kind aura that radiated from their bakery home. He wasn’t sure he could bring himself to ruin that. 

The sound of sirens grew closer. Most of the time, they didn’t need any emergency medical services because of Ladybug’s charm. But Ladybug wasn’t here and he wasn’t so sure that her powers would be able to fix this one.  Chat fell to his knees with the body.

Reporters swarmed him and Marinette’s body. Questions started to bombard him before they were cut short by a scream. A familiar voice broke through the crowd. 

“Marinette!!!!”

Alya quickly rushed out of her apartment the second that the alert hit her phone. Chat had just engaged an akuma. A big smile spread on her face as she rushed towards her next big scoop.  She hadn’t even bothered to read the rest of the report.

“Hey there, Ladybloggers! I’m here on the scene in front of the Mayor’s office awaiting the arrival of Chat Noir from his most recent victory!” The crowd around her grew louder.  “ Oh he’s here! He seems to be carrying someth i-… ” The phone clattered to the ground. She  recognized those pink jeans and dark hair. She couldn’t help from burst forward through the tough crowd of vulture like reporters. A scream ripped from her throat. 

 

“Marinette!!!!” She climbed up to the stage to apprehend the grimacing black clad figure. “Marinette!!” Tears welled in her eyes as she recognized the barely noticeable red against black leather. Alya spared only a single look at Chat before collapsing in front of him. 

A man in a paramedic outfit came up and asked him to hand over the young lady. He nodded sadly and handed over the quickly cooling body. The  sounds of the ambulance faded, but  the sound of the reporters only got louder.

“Who was the girl?”

“Was the akuma apprehended?” 

“Where is Ladybug?” 

“How do you feel about your first failed attempt to save someone?”

The questions were stopped by the quiet beeping of Chat’s ring. Alya looked up at him as he shakily stood. More tears threatened to fall as he grabbed Alya’s hand, taking her with him as he escaped from public view. 

He landed in an alley a few blocks away from the sight, Alya still with him. There was silence between them as Chat embraced the girl. The curly haired female hesitantly returned the hug before the cat’s legs went out from underneath him. She went down with him, causing her to hug him as he half  lay across her lap. Another incessant beep broke the silence. 

“Chat… your identity…” The only source of a response from the male was the heaving sobs coming from his muffled form. Another beep quickly followed the last. Another minute of sobbing and the hero’s transformation wore out. Adrien lay crying in her lap and she could only hold him back and cry. They both had lost someone today. 

Adrien eventually stood, murmuring about how they should be the ones to tell her parents, rather than the news. 

Tom and Sabine took it worse than anyone could imagine. Tom’s eyes welled up quickly, spilling over as he fell to the floor beside the mortified wife.  Adrien tried to keep a strong face as he watched the couple break down from his place on the couch. Alya stood silently in the doorway, tears still streaming down her face. 

Eventually their mourning was interrupted by a phone call. Tom rose to get it, leaving a teary eyed Sabine to finally meet the eyes of her daughter’s crush. Adrien looked down quickly,  trying to avoid the fresh wave of tears running down his face. His eyes didn’t listen to his head’s commands and fresh tears came pouring down along with a fresh wave of pain. The blond boy felt the couch weigh down with another body and small warm arms embracing him, leading him to her shoulder. 

 

Adrien didn’t hesitate. He wrapped his arms around the small woman and cried like a child. He blamed himself for putting M-… her in danger. He blamed Ladybug for not being there to help her, but mostly he blamed himself. What kind of hero was he anyway? 

The white of the school building contrasted with the black that adorned every form entering it. A heavy flowery scent filled the spring air. It was surprisingly nice… A little chilly but the early spring day was fresh and bright. 

The silver car pulled up to the entrance of the building, the door opening from the outside. Adrien looked up to meet the eye of the courteous person and was met by the pitying expression of Natalie. She nodded and allowed him to pass. 

The unusually antsy model fidgeted with the black silk tie around his neck. His hands were clammy and his skin visibly a shade paler than usual.  The white flowers in his grasp seemed far too bright compared to the weighted, shadowed atmosphere that attempted to hang over the pristine building. 

It seemed like, while everyone was trying to mourn, the world wouldn’t let them. Fate kept throwing breath-stopping beauty in the path of depression. Like a bright sun reflecting on the flowers of the school garden, or a saturated sky whose gradient was only interrupted by harmless puffy clouds. Almost like she didn’t want anyone to mourn for her… She wanted him to be happy. 

Adrien pulled his eyes away from the world around him and walked through the thick wooden doors of his campus. The teen followed the trickle of people making their way to a similar destination. His mind wandered as he walked. Where was Ladybug? Why didn’t she come help him? He vaguely remembered screaming for her while panicking yesterday. He sighed and tried to straighten his thoughts. Was he really going to blame  Ladybug for his failure? A tiny voice in his chest screamed that he couldn’t have done anything anyway. That it wasn’t his fault, but he shoved it deeper inside of him, successfully muffling it with his brooding. 

A large hand on his shoulder pulled him from his thoughts. His eyes, now alert and operational, were met with a pair of bright blue eyes that matched the sky, then a pale smooth face void of blood. He had arrived at the service. He was now standing in front of her casket. Adrien’s gaze slowly made its way up to the painfully smiling form of her father. He offered a  half smile and glanced back at the lively photo that sat presented next to the silky white and oak casket. Her hair was in its usual pigtails and a natural smile adorned her expression. It seemed to be an ‘in the moment’ type of picture. He half expected it to come to life and turn to him, becoming a blushing stuttering mess. Adrien had always found that so endearing. 

The blond hadn’t noticed the taller man leave his side, but he noticed when a smaller, porcelain like hand replaced the warm large hand from before. He turned to Sabine and accepted her silent offer of a hug. She radiated an aura of protection and comfort. Adrien wondered if that was what a mother felt like.  She pulled away and took one of his hands in bother of hers and met his stormy green eyes.

 

“Adrien… You are always welcome in our home. Remember that, please.” Her eyes were pleading. The teen nodded in response, a genuine look of gratitude in his eyes. She seemed satisfied with the response and let go of his hand. Her small form disappeared in the group of bustling people. 

Another realization hit Adrien. He was in the way. He turned to the cold body of his classmate- no… his friend and placed the bouquet of pristine flowers. With a sigh, he turned and let others through to the casket. 

He made his way out of the school building, keeping his head down and passing up various classmates. The door to the campus swung closed at a controlled pace as the blond made his way down the stairs. The silver car who had sped off only an hour before, sat in wait in the usual spot in front of the school. He got in without another look at the wreath framed picture displayed in front of doors to t he schools. 

As he flopped down on his bed, anger started to bubble in his gut. Anger associated with his Ladybug and his friend. He threw a fist into the soft comforter of his bed and as soon as he had laid down, he was up. 

“Plagg…” He hadn’t spoken to the kwami since yesterday. The black cat floated up from his place on Adrien’s pillow. 

“You want to…?” The black fairy like creature seemed hesitant, aware of the anger brewing inside of his charge’s gut. A generous portion of cheese was thrown in his direction as a response. As usual, the cat inhaled the cheese at a lightning pace. 

“Plagg… transform me.” The command was emotionless and bland. The kwami complied and spiraled into the black ring. 

A single black clad figure jumped across Paris, void of its other half, an aura of grief and anger among other feelings being left in its wake. 

Chat Noir landed  on a familiar building, the building they used as their meeting spot. He sat down on the edge, waiting for his partner to show her face. The warm spring air brought comforting scents to his waiting nose. He laid back, the darkened sky providing a source of entertainment for the patient cat. He closed his eyes, inhaling the scents of Paris once again. 

“Hey there, kitty.” A familiar confident voice caused Chat’s eyes to snap open. He sat up, anger once again bubbling forward. He stayed silent, back turned from the source of the voice. “Chat…? Are you ok?” The black clad hero couldn’t take it anymore. He took a deep breath and spoke. 

“Want to know what happened while you were on your ‘special mission’, Ladybug?” The cat left off the ‘My Lady’ to emphasize the seriousness he was trying to portray. He didn’t get a response so he continued. “You know how you told me to protect that girl, Marinette?” 

 

“Yes… I do.” The response was foreboding and Chat could feel the dread pooling in his partner’s gut. 

“She died… I failed my mission and she died.” He stood up, still not facing her. “Because of you and your dumb private mission, she died! If you had just  been there , she would’ve been ok!” The blond hero’s tone turned from upset to angry in the course of that sentence.  “Marinette wouldn’t have had to risk her own wellbeing for the sake of others!! She’s not a hero! That’s not her job! It’s yours!” He almost turned to meet the sad eyes of his Ladybug, but held his position. 

“You know I couldn’t have saved her if I had tried.” Her voice sounded not so unlike his lost friend’s. That struck a chord in him that he didn’t like.

“Well you should’ve tried anyway!!!” Chat raised his voice for the first time ever at his Ladybug and at this point, he could care less. He paused, that wasn’t true. He was yelling because he cared. He was crying through his mask right now because he cared. He cared for Marinette and he cared for Ladybug. 

Adrien felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist in a hug. “ I’m sorry …” The arms pulled away and he turned, meeting the gaze of Marinette. But at that moment, she wasn’t Marinette. She was Ladybug, a hero even out of  the spotted  suit. 

Chat Noir shot up, sweat beading his covered brow. He dragged a gloved hand down his soaked face.  A dream? It felt so real. The blond could almost smell the familiar mix of baked goods and light perfume. He continued to sit on the edge of the building, watching a saturated sun rise above the countless buildings that obstructed its rays of sharp, warm, light. 

A little bug buzzed in the distance. It flew closer, seeming to be on a direct path. The cat hero looked past it. It didn’t begin to process in his peripheral until it hovered a few feet away from his face. 

“Chat Noir?” A squeaky voice broke the tranquil silent. The cat jumped from his lazed position, startled by the sudden closeness of the bug. “My name is  Tikki . I’m-“

“Ladybug’s kwami… right?” He tried. The small creature nodded and looked up at him with  big sad eyes and Chat understood. He sat back down on the ledge, letting the small creature join him. 

“She was really brave, you know?” The kwami spoke in her usual soft tone. She kicked her legs, large blue eyes focused on the painted sky in front of her. “She didn’t want to be Ladybug at first. I remember how much she doubted herself.” Chat turned to look at the ladybug kwami. “But she was the best out of every Ladybug I’ve ever chosen.”

Chat continued to listen to the kwami speak, letting its soft voice portray stories of the ladies he had lost only two days ago. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for taking the time to read! This is my first fanfiction in the Miraculous Ladybug fandom. At the beginning, I promised I wouldn't angst for this fandom. I broke that promise. Sorry!


End file.
